D826

Just observing that BR was doing some very good things very well which augured well for the future just before privatisation.

Chiltern is often cited as an example of how things went well.  My recollection, (which may be incorrect) is that Chiltern total route modernisation was undertaken by Network South East.

I find the current approach to ticketing baffling.  An example of an open return to Tiverton from Paddington costing £301, was illustrated on LinkedIn the other day. That is just bonkers.

Given the interrelationships between efficient public transport and what should be other policy objectives/ targets. There should be major benefits from an integrated approach to  transport policy and what it can, or could deliver. The Venn diagram of overlaps in a world where both politicians and media seem to concentrate on very narrow matters and never mind the interrelationships.

 Weaponising and choosing to make a political football of climate change, and misrepresenting HS2 - all to create division are amongst the worst decisions of the current Government in my humble.

I can only hope whatever happens, it doesn't cost 300 quid to travel by train to Tiverton and back.

With all politicians, watch the cups - listen carefully to the words !

Best regards

Matt W

Lots of good pictures of my Dad (NB Ray Wood, not Wood(s)) -in the book 'Red Panniers' too.

A cracking book.

Shows a lack of editorial oversight and comprehension too.

The fact the heading says 'Signs' would, you'd have hoped, led to some quizzical looks somewhere. 

Lord Reith will be rotating at velocity in his eternal slumber.

8 hours ago, Ray M said:

Must have been a nice cop, at Dawlish Warren.

taken from pinterest.

Maybe summer 77 ? 

After abolition of headcodes in 76,  (and that year a lot of 50s were displaying their running number in truncated form in their headcode boxes ie 5044 )- here domino headcodes replacing the redundant roller blinds and before naming in 78.

Fingers crossed there'll be a Western along in a minute if its summer 77. Possibly a 25 on the Paignton local too.  Sure to be a 46 or 47 on a NE to SW too.

Happy days. Very happy days.

Matt W

For me, notwithstanding my love for all things on the GWR/Western Region and all points west (as the book title said - Don't Knock the Southern) it would be Great Central related.

I'd love to have caught the Master Cutler between Marylebone and Sheffield in 47 to 58 - and enjoyed the fast running and excellent engineering of that late lamented masterpiece.  The engineering near Canons Ashby and through South Northants and traces that remained just looked so impressive. 

If its possible for a dead railway to look fast the GC did. (Though obviously not on the Met GC joint lines).

(Id be tempted to follow up with a visit to Barnstaple in about 1960 then down to Dawlish for 1970).

7 hours ago, zephyrman said:

Hi, Is there any more news on the Radley Models kits. Looking for a 4 car set of Standard stock.

 

Thanks

Likewise- who'd have thought I'm getting nostalgic about Met A stock.  Bouncing on the fasts from Amersham to Baker St. 

The prospect of running one alongside Red Panniers, the delicious Radley 30t GP wagons and doing something loosely based on the tip workings is immense.

That Rapido Met E class looks lovely too. Dad liked L44 but preferred the Met F Class.  He said L52 was a bloody good engine - but rhapsodised about the Panniers. Said they'd pull anything.  

Admiring the work and skills of many on here.  Rather like Mantles Wood.

All the best 

Matt Wood

23 hours ago, roythebus1 said:

If it's the same Blossom I'm still in touch with him. He was my regular motorman when I was guard at Ricky in 1973/74. He retired to Ireland and has 11 children and 32 grand-children. His real name is Bill Byrne. his father was on the brake block gang at Neasden, his brothers were also on the Met. blossom is now about 76 I think.

I spoke with my 89 year old Mum Roy.

I think it must be a different Blossom as the bloke my Dad worked with would be in his 90s.  (If Dad was alive he'd have been 99 this year).

Other names Dad worked with were Harry Varley, David Slattery (Peaches), Tom Power, who like Dad, moved to and lived in Aylesbury.

He took me as a 4 or 5 year old, about 1971, to Neasden depot to see the Rolls Royce Sentinels.  I still remember my nervousness stepping over rails at the depot and his warning to 'not step on those ones boy - they're juice rails' and to this day regret not pressing the starter button in the cab of one of the Sentinels.

Dad loved the railway and driving/firing.  Told me that good pway guards were very skilled.  

Gave me a very strong impression of the camaraderie and teamwork of the railway back in the day.

Love all these LT posts.

Best regards

Matt W

1 hour ago, roythebus1 said:

He must have been a name I remember from the tickets at Ricky. A lot of the drivers there were ex loco men. 

Names I remember Dad quoting for Neasden locomen are (remember- different times) ;

The Captain

Blossom

Hazel

The Witch Doctor 

Wizard

Persil - aka ' neck' !

In all seriousness he loved the railway  and his overseas workmates and went to a shunters funeral in Brixton - early 70s - only white person there -  that was Dad - loyal.

1 hour ago, roythebus1 said:

Looking up the pagt to what I think is the LT photo of L52 without air tank, it has no air brake pipes either. Later photos show air tanks, the Westinghouse pump and air brake pipes. I must admit when I produce my own whitemetal kit in the late 1970s I provided the Westinghouse pump and one air tank as that what what we had phots of at the time. I seem to have mislaid a few of my official phot collection over the years.

 

Was Ray Wood a driver at Rickmansworth in 1973? I'm sure I remember the name from when I was a guard there.

He was at Neasden Roy - joined LT on demob from Army in 1947/48.  Steam shed foreman at Neasden Steam shed by late 60s according to Red Panniers.

Diagnosed as diabetic in 1975/76 - very ill for a couple of years - LT were very good to him.  Kept him on and he was a ticket collector at Ricky from his return to work in about 1978, till retirement in 1990.

He loathed being a ticket collector- but was a dyed in the wool railwayman.

Full of great tales about life and work on the railway.  He was a good man - good old Dad. 

Had access to very colourful vernacular language too.

Happy New Year to you sir - I've seen your posts and timeliness of railway work, often wondered if you knew Dad. I believe he was nicknamed 'Dinker'.  Other nicknames of Neasden Steam shed staff quite amusing.

Here's said photo - Dad loved driving steam locos, but absolutely rhapsodised about the Panniers. Said they'd pull anything. 

Very distinctive posture when driving,  my old Dad.  Some brilliant photos and reminiscences about him in "Red Panniers" where he's incorrectly referred to as Ray Wood(s).  Just a Wood singular us Woods.😉

Re Air tanks - in case of interest. I have an H Casserley photo of my Dad driving L52 - it appears to have what looks suspiciously like two air tanks on both left and right hand side on both water tanks. (I.e. there are air tanks on both sides of boiler).

Best regards

Matt W

Anything by John Betjeman on railways quality.  

The "lets Imagine a  branch line railway" linked above and the piece de resistance that is "Metroland".

The former used to be on  iplayer.  The latter, I'm not sure but I bought it on DVD years ago.

JB - a lovely laugh, a great raconteur and a passionate advocate of railways.

This is great too, some lovely shots of Whernside, but trespass to give operator's the collywabbles !

My old man - born 1925, worked on LT from the late 40s, and Mum was born within earshot of Bow Bells in 1934. 

Marylebone was always 'Marry - le - bone' to them.  

Other areas of  London which shall remain nameless - many of which are now altered beyond recognition, often for the better would be unrecognizable to Dad who retired in 1990, died in 95 whose London vernacular language  frequently referred to places as a "s***hole' - as in 'what's x or y like Dad?" - "a s***hole boy".  😉

Best regards

Matt W

Just now, Dunsignalling said:

 

The dead hand of the Treasury, and the dead brain of the DfT...

 

What a team!

 

With a government whose only consistency is incoherence.

Lots of the trains to Watford Tip, near the triangle of lines on the Met South of Rickmansworth, were loco Ash.

Generally conveyed in the 30 ton General Purpose bogie open wagons. Hauled by LT Panniers, and I assume before that by Met F class.

The trains also took general refuse, pway waste, hard-core from demolition of LT Neasden power station to the tip.

My Dad was foreman at Neasden LT steam shed.

Good photo of a wagon, load on fire, being taken to be doused at the water column at the end of Watford Met platform in the wonderful book, Red Panniers - Lightmoor Press.

Loads of pictures of Dad in that book.

He got loco ash/ a smut in his eye once which led to him visiting Moorfields eye hospital.

Was most insulted when they asked if he'd visited any 'ladies of the night' as it might be syphilis. He was furious !

Best regards

Matt Wood

24 hours and one of the alternative proposals is 'nuanced'.

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2023-10-05/government-u-turn-on-rail-line-pledge-less-than-24-hours-after-announcement

Back of a fag packet short termism for a darker future folks.

No strategic plan at work here, just sound bites and smoke and mirrors.

It would be hilarious if it wasn't so profoundly sad.

Superb images all - and Rugd1022 - pleased to see 'Prince' ahead of the 50 at St Austell. Loved D1041 - seemed bomb proof that loco, kept grinding on.

Just love that image.

Also the 50s passing at Totnes with Milks in the trailing siding off the up platform loop. 

Brilliant and nostaligic sights and sounds in my minds ear.  

Me, I'd have to get 50 044 - always a favourite.

Forget 'Strictly' - "keep posting"

Love this thread.  Thank you all.

Best Regards

MattW

I did like a 25.

Lovely little locos with that distinctive Sulzer chug. Loved them on the Western - fond memories of 4 and 5 coach Paignton locals coming out the loop at Dawlish Warren, and tripping freights to Exeter Riverside - Newton Abbot. Very disappointed when they disappeared from the west in 1980.

There used to be some cracking images circa 70s/ and 80s along the seawall, at the Warren/Langstone Rock/Marine Parade/ Kennaway tunnel taken by Owen the Rail on old RMweb but I don't seem to be able to find them now.

The pictures are a relief from the humdrum day to day and reminder of more varied times on the railway. Happy memories. Thanks for posting all.

Best regards MattW

On 04/09/2023 at 09:44, Joseph_Pestell said:

The people responsible for our public sector don't really have much knowledge or experience of practical matters like building. It seems extraordinary that anyone would specify a material with a 30-year life expectancy to put in a publicly-funded building, a totally false economy.

 

The Govt ministers commenting on the media seem to have no understanding of how long this is going to take to solve or indeed what it will take. One can not just replace a floor or a ceiling like that. It will have structural consequences on the whole building. Likely result is total demolition.

 

And, of course, this is not just schools, hospitals, etc. There will be private sector housing, offices also affected and needing scarce building resources to remediate.

 

Finally, to bring back to the railway, the most likely buildings to be concerned would be signal boxes. We could see huge disruption to train services if a signal box at a key location is found to be in danger of a roof collapse.

 

 

That first paragraph is very misinformed.

Context at the time, and decisions taken for all sorts of political, pragmatic, desire to meet need and cost  reasons will have all impacted. The structures were considered fit for purpose - and passed Building Regs at the time. The real issue is not having a sufficiently broad rolling programme of mitigation/replacement.

However, this is a Rail forum I look at for relaxation.  It's a less than happy situation and votes, and what we choose to invest in, at what price and spec has consequences.  Something for us to all remember when we cast votes.

I'm pretty sure I've seen photos of the 50s single window autotrailers on the Tintern to Monmouth line.  I have a recollection (possibly wrong) of a 64xx pannier with one at Brockweir in one of the superb Lightmoor Press books on the area.  

Matt W

Rugd1022 two of those images above have made me very happy and nostalgic.

I was almost a resident of the footbridge outside Kennaway tunnel in the 70s/early 80s.

I loved that LQ signal with its sighting board. There was something magical about seeing the signal wires tremble and 'zing' almost imperceptibly and then the signal bouncing to off.

Also love the 50 on the up milk. I was dismayed when, in 1980, and after the eradication of my beloved Westerns, the Milk disappeared. Always sounded fast and heavy the up milk - loco working hard.  

I also bemoaned the loss of Lairas last 25s, or Sulzers as my Dad called them. Characterful little locos.

I love the pictures posted by yourself and others of the 70s/80s, but particularly the 70s.

I'll raise a glass of beer to you tonight !

Cheers

Matt Wood

I just love the picture of 50009 on the seawall just past Rockstone Bridge. Proper livery, proper train. Takes me right back. I expect a Western will be along in a few minutes.  

Those were the days. Lots of variety in locos and trains.  50s, Westerns, 47s, 46s, 45s, 31s, 25s, 33s, 08s, all to be seen on the seawall.  Always remember an 08 scuttling along from the Warren, presumably NA bound.

Cracking images.  

Thanks for posting all.

History that is.

Is that the end of 4 wheeled rigid wheelbase wagons in revenue earning use in the west then ? 

The end of an era stretching back to the dawn of the railways.  

Those CDAs have given bloody good value for money over their lives.  I still think of them as new mind, replacing UCVs etc.  Mind you, I still think of 66s as new. 

Oh for a time machine to go back to the Langstone Rock (I know - wrong county) for a couple of hours - circa 71 or 76.....

Cracking photos all.  Thanks for posting.

Best regards 

Matt W

Simple ticketing, - ironically- at the same time as the prospect of abandoning Travelcards for trips to London raises its head.

The perversity of making integrated rail travel less accessible/easy for all sections of society, when we should be maximising sustainable transport modes is just crazy.

Climate change deniers aside (The Telegraph seems to be zeroing in on climate change in the next depressing round of distraction politics) - any integrated transport plan would see simple ticketing, and more freight on rail.  

As for me - I just want a comfortable seat which lines up with a window.